ICMA Publications: Aging Populations

Website

Overview

Nearly 80 million Boomers will be retiring from full-time work over the next two decades. Older adults will account for approximately 20 percent of the entire U.S. population in 2030. In order to promote healthy and viable aging in place, communities across the country will need to facilitate community-based planning and services to accommodate the needs of the rapidly increasing older adult population. The Center for Civic Partnerships produced this article to emphasize the importance of planning for the coming demographic shift, provide recommendations on how to best engage Boomers, and offer promising practices for local governments by discussing two case studies.

Key Points

The growing number of older adults poses both challenges and opportunities for communities throughout the country. With more seniors living in the community there is an increase in the demand for age-friendly services, smart growth land patterns, cost-effective health promotion efforts, civic contributions, and economic benefits.

Other article highlights include:

Human Service Partnership: ThisKirkland, Washington program has successfully implemented special projects to better meet the needs of older adults in the community. Such programs include a falls prevention educational campaign and a campaign to recruit older adults into neighborhood associations.

How to Use

Though this article is short in length, it provides useful information about Boomers for community planners and local governments who are looking for ways to keep older adults in the community by making aging in place a viable option. Planners can use the Checklist for Aging Well Planning Initiatives to implement effective planning efforts in their community. The Considerations in Engaging Boomers section of the article is significant for any planner or local official seeking to improve community involvement among older adults in the community.